Gaylord Hotels Holiday Refresh

One commission, three resorts, three states — Opryland, the Gaylord Texan and Gaylord Palms, in the 2021 Elf season. No ice that year.

Operator
Marriott International
Location
Nashville, TN · Grapevine, TX · Orlando, FL
Photography
Architecture · Hospitality
Completed
2021
Gaylord Opryland Lights at Christmas - Architectural and Hospitality Photographer
Architectural Case Study - Gaylord Opryland Holiday Refresh Photography
Gaylord Holiday Atrium Lights - Hospitality Photographer
Architectural Photography Case Study - Gaylord Holiday Refresh - Marriott International and Gaylord Hotels

One commission, three resorts, three states — Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, and Gaylord Palms down in Kissimmee. The only job in these twelve that took me out of Tennessee and Alabama.

Three Atriums

This was 2021, the year Gaylord ran Mission: Save Christmas and put Elf through the whole brand. There was no ice that season. The carvers come from Harbin and still couldn’t get here, so ICE! sat out a second year and the show had to be built from set pieces, light and sound instead. That is the harder thing to photograph. Ice does half the work for you.

The Atrium Does the Work

At these properties the atrium is the architecture, and for six weeks a year it is the venue too. Glass overhead means the light moves all day and you don’t get a vote in it. You shoot early and you shoot late.

Marriott manages the resorts. Ryman Hospitality Properties owns the real estate — worth saying on a page about buildings.